Posts Tagged ‘certification’

A week and a half ago, I issued a press release (link to the press release) to announce that I received my certification as an LGBT Business Enterprise from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. This certification is key to my growth as a new business as it will give me access to many major corporate partners of the NGLCC that now include LGBT-owned businesses in their diversity metrics.

I am now very grateful to the NGLCC that in publicizing their upcoming annual “Out for Business” conference to be held in Las Vegas August 2-5, that they have published an interview with me as one of the attendees at this conference. I was quoted as saying, “I can only do one event this year and I chose this conference. It is the most pertinent to my business. As a supplier, this will give me the most direct access and give me the best return on my time and my money moving forward with my business.”

In addition to the quote they published an earlier interview and distributed it as an e-news item titled, “Meet Stan Kimer: Diversity Specialist, Business Owner, and Faith Community Leader.” Link here for the full interview.

The interview includes:
• The newsworthiness of my election as the new President of the North Carolina Council of Churches as an out gay man.
• An overview of my business and my three service offering areas.
• Details on my diverse job experience at IBM, including as IBM’s Global GLBT Diversity Program Manager, and IBM as an overall general and GLBT diversity leader in the business world. Link to IBM Diversity Page.
• Why being certified by the NGLCC is important to me.

Thank you for taking the time to read the interview and I hope I see some of you in Las Vegas in August!

Total Engagement Consulting by Kimer Officially Certified as an LGBT Business Enterprise

The NGLCC’s Supplier Diversity Initiative has Helped Hundreds of LGBT Business Owners Connect with Corporate America, the Government and Each Other

Total Engagement Consulting becomes only the second certified company in the state of North Carolina

Total Engagement Consulting by Kimer, Inc. is now officially certified as an LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) owned and operated business through the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce’s (NGLCC) Supplier Diversity Initiative (SDI). The NGLCC is the nation’s exclusive certifying body for LGBT owned and operated businesses.

“America’s top corporations are eager to do business with the LGBT community,” said Justin G. Nelson, President and Co-Founder of the NGLCC. “Our community has a demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit and is a $743 billion consumer market.”

The Supplier Diversity Initiative began in 2006 in response to Corporate America’s growing to engage more deeply with the LGBT business community. Today, the NGLCC has over 120 corporate Supplier Diversity Partners who recognize the LGBTBE designation when making procurement decisions and ensuring diversity in their supply chains.

The NGLCC is the business advocate and direct link between LGBT business owners, corporations, and government, representing the interests of more than 1.4 million LGBT businesses and entrepreneurs. They are the only national certifying body for LGBT Business Enterprises.

Even though there are now 225 businesses certified as LGBT Business Enterprises, Total Engagement Consulting by Kimer is only the second such certified business in the state of North Carolina. “I am excited be certified by the NGLCC and strongly feel that my increased access to NGLCC’s corporate Supplier Diversity Partners will help drive exponential growth in my business,” said Stan C. Kimer, founder and president of Total Engagement Consulting. “And I also feel proud to be a diversity pioneer in the south and often to refer to LGBT Diversity as ‘the new diversity frontier for the New South.’”

After a successful 31-year career in IBM in various staff, management and executive positions, including four years as IBM’s global corporate GLBT Diversity Manager, Kimer founded his new consulting practice in October, 2010. His three service offerings areas are:
• Diversity Management with a specialization in LGBT workplace and marketplace
• Employee career development using an innovative “career road mapping” methodology
• General organizational effectiveness and project management consulting